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Multiple Dead in Shooting at Colorado Supermarket; Belarus Police Torture Democracy Protesters; Israeli Election; U.S. Aims to Restore Relations with NATO Allies. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 23, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Guys, we've got people down inside King Soopers.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): First, it was Atlanta. Now it's Boulder. America reeling from two deadly mass shootings in one week. We're
live in Colorado for you, up next.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Some bleeding, one with seven teeth smashed in. Some ravaged by tear gas. Many here told us
they were later beaten in custody. Some fled Belarus.
ANDERSON (voice-over): An indepth investigation by CNN has unearthed shocking examples of abuse by police in Belarus. We have exclusive
reporting for you just ahead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): And Israel votes for the fourth time in two years. Hadas Gold is out on the street for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, Israelis are headed to the polls today for the fourth time in just under two years.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hanging his political future on the rapid rollout of Israel's vaccines, which has returned a sense of normalcy
to the state of Israel. But it's not clear it will be enough for Netanyahu to stay in power. I'll be back with you soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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ANDERSON: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, live from our Middle East broadcasting hub here in Abu Dhabi.
And it is a big day in this region. Today, a weary electorate votes again in Israel, a country seemingly still gripped by political deadlock. Much
more as we move through the show.
First up, though, a hugely important developing story. A grocery store, a place where many of us go every day without giving it a second thought, is
the latest scene of a mass shooting in the U.S.
Ten people were killed when a gunman opened fire in a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado, on Monday. Shoppers were sent running for their lives.
The victims include a police officer who had seven children.
A suspect is in custody but still no word on a motive. Boulder police will provide an update on the investigation in about 30 minutes' time. And as we
await further news, a reminder, this is the seventh case that fits the definition of a mass shooting in the U.S. with four or more people shot in
the past week alone.
This in a country that has wrung its hands and searched its soul over gun control legislation for years. Yet we are seeing these deadly scenes play
out again and again. One person who was in the store called Boulder "the safest spot in America." CNN's Dan Simon reports on how it became the
latest scene of carnage.
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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ten people are dead after a gunman opened fire inside this Boulder, Colorado, supermarket Monday.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God. Guys, we've got people down inside King Soopers. Look --
SIMON (voice-over): Witnesses recall hearing several loud bangs before customers frantically ran for the exits.
RYAN BOROWSKI, EYEWITNESS: This feels like the safest spot in America and I just nearly got killed for getting a soda, you know, and a bag of chips.
SIMON (voice-over): Police quickly arrived at the scene. The shooter was still inside the store, firing a rifle.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 136, we have multiple shots being fired at us
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Start pushing slow but be advised we do not know where he is. He is armed with a rifle. Our officers shot back and returned fire.
NEVEN SLOAN, WITNESS: It's like, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. And I immediately sprinted over to her, like, hey we got to get out of here. And
pushed open that emergency door. And I like told her to run.
SIMON (voice-over): Law enforcement immediately worked to secure the building.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the Boulder Police Department. The entire building is surrounded. I need you to surrender now.
SIMON (voice-over): Eventually ramming into the building and forcing their way in.
STEVEN MCHUGH, WITNESS: My son-in-law walked into the pharmacy for him to get a COVID-19 shot. And the shooter came in, shot the woman in front of
him. They hid, ran upstairs. They're hiding in a coat closet for the last hour. A half a dozen cops came in through the roof.
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MCHUGH: Got them and then told them stay quiet and they are OK. This is not OK with me. And this has put in a big pitch for gun control. This is --
you know, and when it's your family.
SIMON (voice-over): 51-year-old Boulder police officer Eric Talley was among the victims.
CHIEF MARIS HEROLD, BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT: Officer Talley responded to the scene. Was the first on the scene. And he was fatally shot.
SIMON (voice-over): The suspect was wounded and is currently in police custody. The district attorney vows justice will be served for the nine
victims and Officer Talley.
MICHAEL DOUGHERTY, BOULDER COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY: His life was cut far too short as he responded to the shooting that was taking place at King
Soopers. These were people going about their day doing their food shopping. And their lives were cut abruptly and tragically short by the shooter who
is now in custody.
I promise the victims and the people of the state of Colorado that we will secure justice and do everything we must do to get justice in this case.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Dan joining us now live from Boulder.
Dan, what more do we know at this point?
SIMON: Well, we're going to be hearing from authorities in just about 30 minutes. But the primary question is what motivated the shooter to go into
that supermarket and begin opening fire.
At this point, police have not disclosed the identity of the shooter, haven't offered any theories why he did what he did. The initial
investigation into this is likely to take several days.
Police, of course, have to process the scene. They have to continue to interview all the witnesses, take a look at any potential surveillance
video that might exist and try to gather as much information as they can on the shooter, Becky.
ANDERSON: Dan Simon is in Boulder in Colorado.
"When it's your family, you feel it," the words of a man whose relatives saw that shooting as the U.S. recoils in anguish over its recurring gun
crime nightmare.
At the same time, the Biden White House is trying to protect people across the world from abuse wielded by the state. Only two months on the job and
the administration has plenty on its plate, focusing on two main adversaries, Russia and China.
And it's looking to NATO for help. A short time ago, the U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken sat down with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg about
strengthening the bond between North America and Europe. And they're going to need a strong alliance.
The West facing up to savagery from what is described as the world's last dictatorship. And I do not make that characterization lightly. But there
really is no other way to describe the level of abuse unearthed by a CNN investigation into examples of torture against democracy protesters,
allegedly carried out by police in Belarus.
I'm talking about rape, beatings and bullet wounds left untreated, all part of a brutal crackdown by the Lukashenko regime on the protest movement
there and smiled on by the Kremlin. Connecting now to London and Nick Paton Walsh who has exclusive reporting on this -- Nick.
WALSH: Extraordinary to see quite how brutal and systematic the crackdown on the protests that began after the August elections, in which Belarus'
president Lukashenko claimed victory, despite repeated accusations the elections were, in fact, fixed, to see quite how that has become of the
worst types of Soviet-era repression.
Belarus is on the doorstep of the European Union, neighboring some of its brightest members -- Poland, Lithuania. But to its east, Russia, where
recent protests about the arrest of Alexei Navalny have freaked the Kremlin out, and particularly made them anxious to see the crackdown in Belarus to
be some kind of success.
I should warn you that the report you're about to see contains some graphic stories told but begins with an extraordinary example of courage and hope.
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WALSH (voice-over): Somewhere through the icy sludge here is the path to freedom, across the border and out of what's been called Europe's last
dictatorship, Belarus. Some walk, if they can. One man, we'll call him Sergei, had no choice but to swim it, nearly three miles.
Here he stands on sheet ice, free but in anguish at having to flee after just crossing out of Belarus into the safety of Ukraine. He films himself
in flippers and a wet suit to leave evidence of what he tried in case he doesn't make it.
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WALSH (voice-over): "I'll try to crawl there," he says, "and hope I won't freeze. I'm navigating by the stars. The feeling is indescribable. I've
been going 90 minutes and have a mile left."
Being detained for protesting and on a wanted list, he had to flee imminent arrest. Can't turn back now.
WALSH: It's testament to how bad things have got in Belarus that people feel compelled to make this dark, perilous journey, a run to freedom, the
likes of which Europe hasn't really seen since the Soviet Union.
WALSH (voice-over): Belarus, caught between Russia and the European Union, has been ruled for decades by autocratic president Alexander Lukashenko. He
declared victory in August elections, the U.S. said, were fraudulent. Huge protests followed. And he moved swiftly to crush them.
He and Russian president Vladimir Putin are two peas in a pod when it comes to shutting down dissent. So Putin swiftly helped his skiing partner with
$1.5 billion and other unspecified aid. Months of systematic repression and torture followed, documented by human rights groups.
CNN has obtained from defected police officers videos exposing abuse, leaked from the police's own archives. Here the white SUV is full of
activists, fleeing the protest crackdown. Riot police pounce. One fires a gun.
The ferocity is startling. Some kicked where they lie. Another has had his face rubbed into the ground. Most lie incredibly still. They are then
detained.
In custody, CNN was told mistreatment ranges from extreme cold and cramped cells to being beaten severely and sexual assault.
Andre endured on another day perhaps the worst abuse in the back of a police van. He refused to unlock his phone so they cut open his pants and
raped him with a baton.
"It was hard to move at all because I'd been heavily beaten. He cut my underwear using this knife. He asked me to give the password again. I
refused. Then he did what he did. It's not just anger. Police train to do this. We're just seeing it now at a huge scale for the first time. It's
touched nearly every family in Belarus."
Custody is often brutal. Detainees from an October protest were filmed by police and forced to face the wall inside a police station, some bleeding,
one with seven teeth smashed in. Some ravaged by tear gas. Many here told us they were later beaten in custody. Some have fled Belarus.
But you can also see a teenage boy motionless on the floor. Witnesses told CNN he had likely had an epileptic fit but the police ignored him,
occasionally kicking him and saying, are you a boy or a girl?
A minor, he was released later.
In these rooms, police are still tracking down protesters, one we'll call Anya. You can see her here running from riot police. The stun grenade hit
her leg badly. In hospital, doctors gave her little help, she said, but tested her blood for alcohol and rang the police to say she was a likely
protester. She fled home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "I got a phone call from the police, asking where I had been. I began making up stories. They said they would come and get me,
a unit of them. And if they take me, I thought, then I can say goodbye to my limbs because no one will look after me."
WALSH (voice-over): Police ferocity in Belarus, a riot squad descending on a car here, that slowly and quietly swamped a generation desperate for a
new life and calling for new nationwide protests on March the 25th.
The U.S. has imposed commonplace sanctions and the Kremlin its usual writ of fear. It's an early test for President Biden which method will win out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALSH: I should make it clear that we approached the Belarusian interior ministry, its foreign ministry and its prime minister's office for comment
but they declined to give us any.
The U.S. State Department, though, after reading a summary of that investigation's findings, did say they strongly condemn the months-long
crackdown by authorities in Belarus. They pointed out there are over 500 people still in custody; some, in fact, reported still missing after this
crackdown.
And they said the violence is robbing the Belarusian government and authorities of dissidency (ph), both in the eyes of their people and the
international community.
But as you heard there, Thursday is a key day for Belarus. The opposition have called people out onto the streets. There have been slight arrests
ahead of that key day. It will be a test, frankly, as to whether this fear, this crackdown, has stopped people wanting to put themselves, frankly, in
the line of fire against increasingly aggressive --
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WALSH: -- you saw some of the pictures. They're almost out of control, Belarusian riot police.
But interesting, too; some of the analysts have said all of this violence isn't actually lost or entirely approved of by Moscow. Some of it perhaps
makes them a little bit edgy. They've seen Ukraine, after a civil war there, increasingly hostile towards Moscow and some say perhaps there may
be fears inside the Kremlin that, if this gets worse and becomes so much more brutal than it currently is, which is pretty bad indeed, that could
entirely turn a generation of Belarusians against their eastern neighbor, Russia, and further marginalize the Kremlin's writ of influence in its near
abroad -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh on the story for you. Terrific reporting. Thank you.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, live from our Middle East broadcasting hub in Abu Dhabi.
Still ahead, more on a mass shooting at a Colorado grocery store that killed 10 people. Police are scheduled to hold a news conference shortly.
We will get to that as they update on their investigation.
And Israelis are back at the polls. Many are calling it a referendum on the prime minister. Our guest this hour says there is more to it than that.
Plus, America's top diplomat on a mission to strengthen ties with NATO. Antony Blinken's pledge to the alliance is just ahead.
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ANDERSON: Here we go again. Political paralysis in Israel sending voters to the polls for the fourth time in less than two years. There are 120
seats up for grabs and the magic number is 61.
The prime minister's pitch to get a working majority, well, he's made friends with Arabs, got the COVID vaccine into the arms of more than half
of Israelis and his latest promise, direct flights to Mecca. More on that in a moment.
Opinion polls ahead of the election put Mr. Netanyahu on top. We've seen that is no guarantee whatsoever he'll be able to form a majority
government. Voting is underway at this hour but it will be another few hours before we get exit polls to show you.
Hadas Gold has been covering the campaign and joins us from a special polling station in Jerusalem for people in quarantine.
It's good to have you with us.
Would it be a fair characterization to say that Israelis are ever so slightly weary heading into today's polls?
GOLD: Well, Becky, I think anybody who just looks at the numbers and says this is the fourth time in under two years they're going to the polls,
would think so. We're at a special polling place.
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GOLD: People who are quarantined, they drive up here, drive through and vote from their cars. It's been pretty quiet. Actually the turnout numbers
are reflecting that as well. The central elections committee came out with updated numbers and turnout is slightly lower than in previous years.
That can change over the next few hours. Also there's a bit of a dust storm covering the country now. Everything is in this white film.
For those who are coming to vote, the question really is, are you for Netanyahu or against him?
Netanyahu is staking his campaign on the rapid rollout of the vaccines that have brought a sense of normalcy back to the streets of Israel; also, of
course, normalization relations with Arab countries. Just today tweeting out a promise to Israeli Muslims they'll soon have a direct flight to
Mecca.
Will that work?
We've seen the most recent opinion polls that came out on Friday show that, though Netanyahu may have the most seats, at the end of the night, it, of
course, will not be the 61 seats he needs. He needs that coalition.
Even with the parties that would typically sit with Likud in the government, even with those parties, they may not have enough. What we'll
be looking for tonight is the smaller parties. Not only do they cross that 3.25 percent threshold they need to even enter the parliament.
But how many seats do they actually win?
Because that could be the difference for somebody like Netanyahu, whether he can actually get a working majority to put him over the edge -- Becky.
ANDERSON: And that's the big deal, isn't it?
This is the first election of the four that we haven't actually been on the ground and actually doing this show from there. This -- getting this
coalition together, should he be asked to do that, what would it -- what is it likely to look at?
Should he come out top and should he be asked to put a government together by the president of the country?
GOLD: Well, there's a few things, obviously, to keep in mind. If certain of the smaller parties do not cross the threshold, then the seats would go
proportionately to the rest of the people who are in parliament. That could be helpful to Netanyahu.
Then one of the other key people to keep an eye on is Naftali Bennett, the leader of the Yamina Party, a former lieutenant of Netanyahu's. And what he
decides, how many numbers he gets, he has not committing to not sitting or sitting in a Netanyahu-led government. He could be the kingmaker in all of
this.
Even with him in government, depending on the numbers he gets, it might still not be enough. So if we are at a stalemate, it's hard to believe that
we might actually reach this point. We might be spending weeks of different people trying to create a government. We may be headed towards a fifth
election.
ANDERSON: Good to have you on the ground, Hadas. Thank you. Hadas Gold in Jerusalem for you.
My next guest writes in "Ha'aretz," "It's easy to conclude that the entire 2021 campaign is about Benjamin Netanyahu. But flattening the elections to
a cult of personality, love or hate Netanyahu, is both incorrect and dismissive to voters," she said.
Dahlia Scheindlin joins us from Tel Aviv.
Explain what you mean by that, Dahlia.
DAHLIA SCHEINDLIN, POLLSTER AND POLITICAL STRATEGIST: Sure. Many people think the reason we're in elections at all in Israel is because Netanyahu
did not stick to his end of the coalition agreement that was forged in May of 2020, in which Likud went into a coalition with Blue and White.
And it seemed like Netanyahu wanted to get out of that prime ministerial rotation and, therefore, didn't stick to the agreement. Now we're in
elections.
However, so it's very easy for the voters to say, well, it's all about the -- we're in elections because of Netanyahu and we have to vote, based on
whether we want him to continue being prime minister or not.
But Netanyahu himself stands for his record. He stands for his policies, his ideology, his governing style. And these are issues on which Israelis
are deeply divided. And I think that, in general, going into four elections in a row is dismissive of the voters, because the voters, Right or Left,
certainly wanted a stable government.
It's the political party leaders who have not been able to forge these coalitions. But also, assuming that whether Netanyahu is in or out isn't
the only thing that matters, is not how voters feel. They have very strong opinions on what Israel does next with respect to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
They're very deeply divided over the fate and independence of the Israeli judiciary, the Right would like to constrain the judiciary; the Center and
the Left would like to strengthen the independence of the judiciary.
And the Center Left, of course, believe there shouldn't be a person who is on trial on three counts of corruption, as the prime minister; whereas many
of Netanyahu's supporters believe that this is unfair political persecution, not only against Netanyahu but, in a way, against their entire
political camp.
So these are the kinds of things on the table. I think the next leadership, whether Netanyahu or the opposition, will have to address those issues.
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ANDERSON: Yes, this is important stuff. And the reason you know this is you speak to voters all the time. It's what you do. You poll the Israeli
electorate. So you have heard from them specifically what it is that they are looking for.
One of the more striking aspects of this election campaign has been Netanyahu's attempts to win support among Israel's Arab voters, where, in
the past, he'd been accused of trying to suppress their vote, of course.
Lawmakers from Arab parties have privately admitted that his campaign has been effective.
For somebody who wants to annex the West Bank, keep building settlements, why would those voting for the Arab List, as it were, support him?
SCHEINDLIN: We don't know how successful that campaign has been. And Netanyahu has spent the vast majority of his -- the previous 12 years in
which he's been in office, vilifying the Arab minority and their political leaders.
He has incited against them in various ways. He has presided over the passage of the nation's state law determining that Israel is, first and
foremost, a state of the Jewish citizens, essentially relegating them to second place. So your question is the correct question.
And I think it ties into the sentiment among many Arab Palestinian citizens of Israel that their parties are simply not able to be effective enough.
There has never been an Arab party joining the Israeli governing coalition and they essentially despair of promises from politicians, including their
own.
And I think many of them are asking the question, if our parties cannot be in the Israeli government, if we will never be invited into the Israeli
governing coalition, maybe our communities would be better served by the party that is in power.
And I think it's raised a significant debate. I would be surprised if it's highly effective. I think, at best, maybe one extra seat for Likud comes
from that campaign. It's notable. It's also a public relations effort for the Jewish voters.
For example, the video you referred to earlier, promising the Muslim citizens of Israel that they can go to Mecca, is featured most prominently
in the Hebrew language. It's part of Netanyahu's appeal as someone who does surprising things, who can reach out to the Arab community around the world
and at home.
I don't think it's going to have a huge impact on the Arab voters but even one or two additional seats could change the entire fate of the campaign
because the two blocs are at such a deadlock, a 60-60 stalemate right now.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. You have said that the electorate's greatest divide does remain the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Has Netanyahu's march of normalization, as it were, with Arab states, including here in the UAE, won him brownie points in this election?
SCHEINDLIN: I mean, the interesting thing is that not much has changed Netanyahu's fortune throughout the electoral campaign. His polls have been
stubbornly stuck at the 28- to 30-seat range, just barely rising above 30 seats in the final day, in which polls were allowed to be published.
And so you could look at any of the many, many things he's included in his campaign, certainly the focus on opening normalization with four Arab
countries in North Africa and the vaccination campaign as well as his wonderful relations in general with various foreign leaders.
These are the kinds of things that he presents as his positive campaign. His negative campaign is attacking the Left. But none of them have really
changed Likud's polling at least.
It's not unusual for Likud to do a little better than the final polls on the night of elections. So he might end up with 32 seats or more. But at
this point, it seems unlikely he'll reach the 36 seats he currently holds in the outgoing Knesset.
All of these interesting achievements he's been boasting about, including (AUDIO GAP) --
(CROSSTALK)
SCHEINDLIN: -- his economic success on some level and macroeconomics and limiting the damage of corona, none of that has really changed his polls
significantly over the time.
ANDERSON: Dahlia, it's always a pleasure, thank you so much. Your insight and analysis is extremely important. What we do know is that this will not
be over likely tonight. The horse trading, of course, will go on. And it will be interesting to see what does happen as the polls close and these
exit numbers. Always a pleasure. Thank you.
Still ahead, 10 people shot dead, most of them while just shopping for food. We'll take you live to Boulder, Colorado, where police are about to
give us an update on Monday's mass shooting.
Plus, tit-for-tat sanctions over China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims. We'll get the latest from the region on that.
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ANDERSON: Police in Boulder, Colorado, will brief the media any moment now on the mass shooting in a grocery store that killed 10 people. One of those
killed, a police officer. A suspect is in custody. But so far, police have not revealed his identity or a possible motive.
A law enforcement source says he did use an AR-15 style rifle, far more lethal than a handgun. Survivors described a scene of chaos and terror.
Customers and employees running for cover as the shooter appeared to fire randomly.
The mass shooting, sadly, the seventh in America within a week, including in Atlanta, where a shooter killed eight people as he rampaged through
three spas in and around the city.
And like every mass shooting in the U.S., this one has sparked outrage over the easy accessibility of guns and calls for major national gun reform
that, inevitably, get bogged down in Congress. We will get you that news conference just as soon as it happens in Boulder, Colorado.
Meantime, "a pivotal moment for NATO." Those words from America's top diplomat at NATO headquarters in Brussels. It's Antony Blinken's latest
stop on a global tour aimed at keeping President Biden's promise to repair and rebuild relationships dented under the Trump administration.
He calls the U.S. commitment "steadfast" and says America will consult with allies on difficult issues, like the looming U.S. troop withdrawal from
Afghanistan. International diplomatic editor Nic Robertson following this new Biden era of diplomacy from London today.
Before you and I talk about what we've heard, let's just hear from Secretary Blinken himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I come to Brussels because the United States wants to rebuild our partnerships, first and foremost, with
our NATO allies. We want to revitalize the alliance to make sure it's as strong and effective against the threats of today as it has been in the
past.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That speech, in and of itself, newsworthy, in that it is new and different compared to that of the Trump administration, Nic. And no
surprise there, of course.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, no surprise. And there was one surprise -- and I suppose you might say perhaps not so much a
surprise but the very first thing that secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke about was that horrific attack in Boulder, Colorado.
[10:35:00]
ROBERTSON: He called it horrific violence, sent his condolences to the families of the loved one killed and pointed out that a law enforcement
officer was among those killed.
So that was very much something that he wanted to say before he got into what is a very big event in terms of U.S. diplomacy, his first trip to NATO
headquarters as secretary of state, a mission, he said, that has come to listen to the other 20 --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Can I just stop you there because Boulder Police are now giving us an update. I'm going to get our viewers this update from Boulder,
Colorado. Back to you shortly, Nic.
POLICE CHIEF MARIS HEROLD, BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT: -- overnight to identify all of the victims and notify the next of kin, which I'm extremely
grateful for.
The last victim was removed from the scene at 1:30 am today. By 2:02 am, all the victims have been identified. By 3:59 am, the families of the
victims have been notified. I'm going to read the names of the deceased.
Denny Strong, 20 years old; Neven Stanisic, 23; Rikki Olds, 25; Tralona Bartkowiak. 49; Suzanne Fountain, 59; Teri Leiker, 51; Officer Eric Talley,
51; Kevin Mahoney, 61; Lynn Murray, 62; Jody Waters, 65.
Our hearts go out to all the victims killed during the senseless act of violence. We are committed with state, local and federal authorities for a
thorough investigation and we'll bring justice to each of these families.
Regarding the suspect. At approximately 2:40 pm on Monday, March 22nd, officers were dispatched to King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive. Officers
arrived on the scene within minutes and immediately entered the store and engaged the suspect. There was an exchange of gunfire, which suspect was
shot. No other officers were injured.
The suspect was taken into custody at 3:28 pm. He was transported to the hospital for treatment, now in stable condition. This suspect has been
identified as Ahmad Alissa, 21, of Arvada. He has been charged with 10 counts of murder in the first degree and will be shortly transported to
Boulder County Jail.
Press release with his identifying information, the victims' information will be forthcoming. I appreciate you being here. And I want to say to the
community, I am so sorry this incident happened and we are going to do everything in our power to make sure this suspect has a thorough trial and
we do a thorough investigation.
And with this, I'm going to turn this over to Governor Polis -- sir.
GOV. JARED POLIS (D-CO): Thank you, Chief, for your extraordinary work the last 1.5 days. And there's going to be a lot more ahead. And, of course,
I'm standing here, not just as governor but as someone who has called this community my home for most of my life and who's shopped at King Soopers in
Table Mesa many times across my life.
My heart aches today. And I think all of ours does, as Coloradans, as Americans for this senseless tragedy, the loss of life, as we hear those
names, everybody -- and Boulder County is a small community. We're all looking over the list.
Do we know anybody? I'm sure that we know people that know people that know people, people of all ages and people who started their day with a cup
of coffee and reading the morning paper or perhaps getting their kids ready and putting on a winter coat to go out. Maybe they were making last-minute
spring break plans.
But none of them expected that this would be their last day here on the planet. It's a simple run for milk and eggs, getting ready to shop. Going
in, in a regular way we all live our lives, something that we can all identify with, led to a complete tragedy here today.
And our hearts ache for those who lost their lives, for their families, for the survivors left behind, for the survivors who were able to get out, who
have scars that can't be seen but are every bit as painful.
And I want to thank the Boulder Police Department, the first responders. So many police from agencies across the state came to the call in their time
of need. Not only did we lose 10 lives but this is real horror and terror for all of us.
[10:40:00]
POLIS: The simple act of shopping in a grocery store.
And the last 1.5 days, the last 12 hours, the families of our victims, our friends, they've been notified of their loss. That's why these names
weren't released yesterday. The families have been notified, everybody quietly hoping that it wasn't your friend or your coworker or your family
member.
Many residents of South Boulder had people checking in with them, "Are you okay? Are you okay?" posting on social media, "Are you okay?"
And look, this loss is especially painful for the friends and the family members of those left behind and, as governor, I offer my condolences to
all those who suffered loss. But this is a loss for all of us. And we mourn those who fell, as a state and we mourn them as a nation.
This has been a painful year. And we sit here once again surrounded by seemingly incomprehensible, senseless loss. This is a pain that we need to
sit with. We can't let ourselves ever become numb to the pain, because we simply can't let this be accepted as anything close to a normal occurrence.
There's a full investigation underway. The eyes of the nation are on Boulder; the eyes of the nation are on Colorado. And every level of law
enforcement, federal, state and local, is working together to make sure that we can bring justice in this case.
That's exactly what Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley was doing, as he lost his life in the line of duty: he was heroically trying to save
others.
The state of Colorado has 35 people from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations and state troopers assisting the investigation. Since
yesterday, we've offered to help with victim services as well. And of course, Boulder community has the full support of state and federal law
enforcement, as we go about the difficult task ahead.
The unfairness of it all. This is going to be difficult for people to process. Flags had barely been raised back to full-mast after the tragic
shooting in Atlanta that claimed eight lives. And now a tragedy here close to home, at a grocery store that could be any of our neighborhood grocery
stores.
This last weekend in Colorado, many of us had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful spring outdoor weather. Spending time in the great outdoors, a
sense of renewal, a sense of hope ahead perhaps, that we were on the precipice of normalcy.
I hope that the victims today got some simple pleasure, on that beautiful spring day before tragedy hit. I wish I could stand here and promise that
the pain will heal quickly. It won't.
But for the family and friends in our community, the loss endures. And at times like this, it's hard to see the light that shines through the
darkness. We all need space to mourn, space to be angry, that's a legitimate feeling, space to help those who are left behind, space to ask
the simple question, why?
Space to support those who made it out of the grocery store with their lives but with lifelong scars that we cannot see, space to celebrate the 10
lives that were lost yesterday and we need the fortitude to carry on.
We will hold the evildoer responsible to the full extent of the law for his actions. And we will always remember the victims of the King Soopers
shooting.
I want to turn it over to the congressman from the area, Congressman Joe Neguse.
REP. JOE NEGUSE (D-CO): Thank you, Governor Polis, for your leadership.
I want to thank law enforcement in the Boulder County area for their incredible leadership, to District Attorney Michael Dougherty, to the chief
of police, to the brave and heroic police officers with the Boulder Police Department whose actions yesterday truly saved lives, to the federal
partners, interim U.S. Attorney Kirsch and FBI special agent in charge, Schneider, for their efforts.
[10:45:00]
NEGUSE: The coordination, I think you'll hear from law enforcement at the local, state and federal level, has been strong and important as we deal
with this terrible mass shooting here in our community.
It has been a devastating 24 hours for Boulder and for our state. Like the governor, this is my community. We lived in Boulder County for many years.
My wife was born in Boulder. We went to school in Boulder.
This is our community. And we are heartbroken, absolutely heartbroken, for the pain and the anguish that so many in our community and across our state
are feeling today, 10 lives lost.
Ten friends, neighbors, sisters, brothers, parents, colleagues, community members, families that are grieving today, woke up today without their
loved ones, including an officer who bravely died in the line of duty, protecting this community, Officer Talley. His service and his sacrifice
will never be forgotten.
Like many of you, my heart is heavy and it is in grief and in anguish. The loss of life is truly heartbreaking and unimaginable.
And so our hearts, our thoughts, our prayers, are with the families of those victims, with the survivors of yesterday's terrible mass shooting,
with the frontline grocery store employees and with every member of our community here in Boulder.
As the governor said yesterday, Coloradans went to their local King Soopers to pick up groceries, to buy eggs, some of them to get a COVID vaccine. And
in a mere instant, our community was upturned by a senseless act of violence.
This year as Coloradans, we have faced a lot of challenges. And in this year of separation due to COVID, of loss and of loneliness, grocery stores
like King Soopers have been one of our consistent gathering places, one of the few routine activities that we've continued to engage in as Coloradans
and as Americans.
It's hard to describe what it means for this safe place to see a horrible tragedy like this unfold.
There's a lot that we don't know; there's a lot still unfolding from yesterday's events. But let me simply say this: This cannot be our new
normal. We should be able to feel safe in our grocery stores. We should be able to feel safe in our schools, in our movie theaters and in our
communities. We need to see a change because we have lost far too many lives.
As I said, I've lived in Boulder County for many years. And one thing I am sure of is this: Our community is strong, it is kind, it is compassionate
and it is resilient.
And we will get through this together, as we comfort each other and as we begin the process of healing in the coming days and weeks and tough months
ahead. I'd now like to turn it over to the Mayor of Boulder, Sam Weaver.
MAYOR SAM WEAVER (D-CO), BOULDER: Good morning. Today our city is grieving the senseless loss of 10 lives in our community. The people who were killed
yesterday were individuals going about their daily business, when a man with a gun monstrously struck them down.
They had family and friends, loves and passions and dreams of tomorrows that will no longer come for them. We feel these losses in our bones. Some
of us more deeply than others but all of us are agonized by this tragedy.
There will be time to come to pursue justice, repair damage, seek answers and pursue remedies. But today we remember, we appreciate and we honor the
lives of those who were killed.
One of those who we remember is Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley, who was gunned down as he valiantly protected those who were in mortal danger.
Officer Talley, a truly heroic public servant, joins the ranks of six other Boulder police officers who have laid down their lives for the people of
our city.
[10:50:00]
WEAVER: We can never thank Officer Talley or his family enough for their sacrifice but we will not forget it. Many are alive today because of the
actions of Eric Talley and other first responders and their bravery is a blessing to us all.
Boulder is a city full of giving and resilient people and we will help each other heal and recover from this tragedy. Boulder is also an active and
energetic community and we will put our energy to use in repairing the civic fabric which has been torn.
Boulder is a thoughtful and visionary community and we will work to build a future in which tragedies like this live in a distant and unimaginable
past. But today we will grieve and we will console one another and we will remember the 10 precious souls that we lost yesterday. Thank you and I'll
turn it over to Boulder DA, Michael Dougherty.
DOUGHERTY: Good morning. I'm Michael Dougherty and I am the District Attorney for Boulder County. Yesterday, Boulder suffered a tragic and
horrific attack.
The victims, who were food shopping, were engaged in an everyday act, something we all do and it turned out to be their last day on earth. I
cannot imagine the pain and agony that their loved ones, their families are feeling right now.
And to them, I want to say this: I promise you that all of us here will work tirelessly to support you and help you through this process and also
to make sure that the killer is held absolutely and fully accountable for what he did to them, to all the loved ones and friends of the victims and
to the Boulder community yesterday.
Officer Eric Talley died heroically. He was one of the many outstanding members of Boulder County Law Enforcement and he'd been an officer here at
the Boulder Police Department and the patrol car behind us is here in his honor today.
He died charging into the line of fire to save people where were simply trying to live their lives and go food shopping. And the man who gunned
them down will be held fully responsible.
There were 10 people killed yesterday. The chief, Chief Herold, read off the names of all 10. I would ask you to join me as a community, as a
country, in honoring and respecting all 10 of the victims.
The killer, his name, that will live in infamy. But today, let us remember the victims and let us work tirelessly for them to make sure the right
thing happens in this case. And I can promise you, that is our solemn commitment to the victims and the families and to this community.
Why did this happen?
We don't have the answer to that yet and the investigation is in the very early stages and the investigators are working hard to determine that and
that information will come.
What I can tell you today is that Boulder and Colorado, is giving its very best to the response of what happened.
We've had agencies from all around the Metro area, district attorneys and prosecutors from all around the State of Colorado, law enforcement from
every area around Boulder and Denver responding to help and give their very all to this vicious attack and to the investigation that will follow.
So we are in the very early stages in the investigation. There is much to learn but I really want to stress the incredible cooperation between
federal, state and local partners. It's exactly what we should do in response to this kind of horrific act.
Having been at the Aurora movie theater shooting in the hours after that attack, I can tell you part of what made that response so incredibly
important was that we had federal, state and local partners responding together, working as a team, giving their every bit of effort and energy
and commitment to ensuring justice for all the victims.
That's the kind of response we see in Boulder County here today. Again, just as back then, federal, state and local partners working very closely
to ensure that the right thing happens with the criminal case and that justice is done for each and every one of the 10 victims.
The arrest affidavit and arrest warrant were completed and signed at approximately 3:00 am this morning. The offender, whose name has already
been provided to you.
[10:55:00]
DOUGHERTY: He is being held at a hospital currently. I anticipate that he'll be released from the hospital shortly and then be transported to the
Boulder County Jail.
Once he's booked into the Boulder County Jail, we will follow our normal protocol and the affidavit and warrant has been cleared by my office to be
released to the community and to the media.
So to the media, you can expect that affidavit and warrant to be available for release after he's booked into the jail, which again, at this point, I
believe, will be later today, after his medical treatment is completed.
I do want to stress that the investigation is really in its early stages and we're going to work incredibly hard to see it through to completion.
That completion is likely more than a year from now.
But between now and that day, when justice is done for all 10 of these victims, I can promise you, we're going to work together at the federal,
state and local levels to give this case our all and to make sure we do justice for these victims.
Nothing will replace, nothing can fill the void for the families and their loved ones but I can promise you that we will hold him accountable. Thank
you very much for being here, ladies and gentlemen. And I'm going to turn it over to U.S. Attorney Matt Kirsch and I really appreciate Mr. Kirsch and
his team being here both last night and today.
MATT KIRSCH, ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY: Good morning, everyone. I'm Matt Kirsch. I'm the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado.
You've already heard from most of the speakers this morning about how this investigation is proceeding, exactly as an investigation of this type
should, with full cooperation between federal, state and local authorities.
I'm here to affirm for you on behalf of the federal law enforcement community that that is happening. The federal law enforcement community,
including the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the ATF and any other resources that are necessary in order to make sure
that this investigation is full and complete will be brought to this investigation.
I want to close by saying two more things. First of all, on behalf of the federal law enforcement community, I want to join in adding that
community's sincere condolences and sympathies to the victims, the victims' families, their friends and to the community at large.
We know that the community and all of those people are grieving. We understand that our role, as Michael Dougherty just explained, is to seek
justice for this tragic event and my pledge to you is that is exactly what the federal law enforcement community is going to do.
With that, I'm going to turn it over to Special Agent in Charge of the Denver Office, Michael Schneider. Thank you.
MICHAEL SCHNEIDER, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: Good morning. As the U.S. Attorney said, my name is Michael Schneider. I'm the Special Agent in
Charge for the FBI here in Colorado.
First and foremost, I want to offer my sincere condolences on behalf of the FBI to the Boulder Police Department and to the families of the victims of
this senseless act of violence.
While we mourn the devastating loss, our objective is to conduct a thorough and meticulous investigation. The FBI is involved because of the resources
we can bring to bear to support our law enforcement partners and the investigation.
At this time, we are supporting evidence collection. We are supporting processing the crime scene. We are conducting interviews and we are
providing analytical support as we exploit all the evidence that is collected.
As part of that process, we seek the public's help. Any information that can be provided to aid our investigation, we ask be provided to the FBI.
We have two means of providing that information. The first is digital media can be provided to fbi.gov/bouldershooting. You can also call the FBI's Tip
Line, which is 1-800-CALL-FBI. Again, no information is too small and we encourage the public to share any information they may have.
Our objective in this investigation is to conduct a thorough investigation, which includes identifying the subject's motives. Our effort is ongoing.
It's been less than 24 hours since the shooting took place and it would be premature for us to draw any conclusions at this point in time.
I can tell you the community is safe and we will continue to share updates as we conduct our investigation that can draw conclusions as a result of
that investigation. We are grateful to the tremendous partnerships that exist here in this community.
We are working very closely with the Boulder Police Department, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the U.S.
Attorney's Office and the District Attorney's Office. And we can assure the public we will follow every lead as we conduct our investigation and bring
justice to the victims. Thank you.
DIONNE WAUGH, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER, BOULDER POLICE DEPARTMENT: We'll now take a few questions.
[11:00:00]
END
